With auditions coming to an end, the nature of this season of Idols SA is about to change drastically. Thus far, the show has been characterised by a general increase in the number of hopefuls earning a shot at competing in the live shows. Of course, they earn this spot by walking away with a Golden Ticket, and we’ve seen multiple contestants score a chance to prove themselves in Theatre Week.
The first of these was Zadwesh, whose self-penned song earned him some ecstatic responses from the three judges:
Several contestants have auditioned with a guitar as accompaniment – Angel was another one of these, and her audition gave her a shot at restarting a career that took a hit due to the recent pandemic.
This season has also seen several auditions from people who have something of a foothold in the industry already, like Hope, who won herself a Golden Ticket in the most recent episode:
As already mentioned, the auditions phase is all about adding contestants to the pool of performers who will battle it out over the coming Theatre Week, but those few days are decidedly different. They will be characterised by people being removed from the batch; instead of singing to win a place, they will be fighting to keep it. Those who fall short will be sent home, and the group will grow ever smaller. We don’t know how many will be left by the end of Theatre Week – it’s changed over the past few seasons – but we know that the attrition rate will be very high.
We can expect about 100 contestants to enter Theatre Week, but those making it through to the live shows are unlikely to total more than 20, which means we will see many disappointed singers over the coming weeks. This Sunday is their last chance to win – after that, it’s all about not losing.
Idols SA season 18 airs on Mzansi Magic at 17:30 on Sundays. You can follow us on our assorted social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.